Hopes for the Edmonton Oilers to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive year took a hit on Tuesday.
The team announced that Leon Draisaitl will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season due to a lower-body injury. It seems he sustained this injury during the first period of Sunday’s matchup against the Nashville Predators.
He will miss at least the final 14 games of the season, which wraps up on April 16. However, the team has not confirmed whether he will be available for the playoffs.
Draisaitl, unfortunately, did not return to the game after being injured by Ozzie Wiesblatt from the Predators. On a brighter note, Edmonton managed to win that game, which places them third in the Pacific Division, just a point behind the Vegas Golden Knights and two points behind the Anaheim Ducks.
By the end of Tuesday, the Oilers celebrated a 5-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks. With this win, they climbed into second place in the standings, ahead of Vegas, although they’ve played one more game than the Golden Knights and two more than the Ducks.
Adam Henrique contributed assists for both Vasily Podkolzin and Max Jones, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy, and Zach Hyman also found the net.
“That line was crucial for us,” said Oilers head coach Chris Knoblauf after the Sharks game. “We’ve discussed before how necessary it is for guys to step up. Nobody can replace Leon; that’s clear. But we all need to band together and improve. That fourth line was key tonight.”
Draisaitl has been instrumental for the Oilers since joining the team. He currently ranks fourth in the league with 97 points from 65 games and sits second on the team behind Connor McDavid, who leads the league with 114 points.
Draisaitl won the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP in 2020 and was the runner-up last season.
